SCA member, John Pringle investigates how the village Athelstaneford got its name after a battle won by Picts and Scots along with other historical facts and myths linked with The Scottish
Flag Heritage Centre.

SCA member Tom Clarke has successfully restored some fabulous historical properties including Howgill Castle, Lochhouse Tower and Kilmartin Castle. Here, he gives us a fascinating insight
into his life...

Scottish Castles Association member Vanessa Harryhausen comes from a very interesting family. Fellow SCA member, John Buchanan Smith, met Vanessa as she was looking to acquire an
historic Scottish property.

Although a very modest house in the context of Scottish “castles” in general and the SCA’s membership in particular, Blackhall Manor in Paisley, Renfrewshire has a history which stretches
back 850 years.

SCA Member Rachel Stuart of Blackhall Manor describes how she was captured by an Italian Prisoner of War, or at least, the little chapel he (Domenico Chiocchetti) built on Orkney during the
Second World War.

Tarbert Castle forms a notable landmark high above the port of that name in Argyll. Dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries (including work by Robert the Bruce) it has long been in a state of
total neglect.

The essays in this 320-page volume, the first in a series, publish the proceedings of the first two conferences of Turris, an international association for those interested in tower studies, held at Stirling in 2010 and Dundee in 2011

Current fans of 'Garrow's Law' on TV will no doubt have noticed that Linlithgow Palace is doubling as
Newgate Prison, London in the current series. Another Scottish location is that of Pollok House in Glasgow.

How many Tower Houses were there in the Scottish Borders? According to SCA member Alastair Maxwell-Irving we can never know for certain. In 'The
Castle Studies Group' Journal of
December 2011 he sets out his case.

Perth, Scotland's newest city, has been granted £650,000 to restore its historic buildings. The money, from Historic Scotland, will support its city status with a grant awarded to Perth and Kinross
Heritage Trust.

When touring Clackmannanshire castles with the SCA in April 2010, I noted the presence of a carved stone basin in each of the halls of Clackmannan tower and Sauchie castle. Both drained
out through the wall.

I started looking for a small Scottish Tower or L Plan Castle to restore in 1992 and although there are lots within a 50 to 75 mile radius of Aberdeen. I found I could not purchase one for a
reasonable price.

Did you know that we have our very own 'Grand Designs' project being built by one of our members? Phill Plevey is currently building his own Scottish Castle in the old style. Read about
Scotland's latest castle.

King James V erected the great tower at Holyrood between 1529-32 as a freestanding residence, fortified and protected by drawbridge and moat. For 5 years it stood alone and detached from
the other palace buildings.

Historic buildings across Scotland will be revamped thanks to £2.6 million in new funding. Ten sites will be given building repair grants from Historic Scotland, announced Fiona Hyslop, Culture
Secretary.

In 1337 Sir Andrew Moray captured Bothwell Castle from the English and 'scattered it from the foundations'. For 25 years it lay in ruin until 1362 when Sir Archibald Douglas married the Moray
heiress, Lady Joanna.

Members of Clan MacNeil and Historic Scotland have raised £200,000 for the planned work. Historic Scotland, which looks after the property, hopes that archaeologists will uncover new
clues to castle life.

The bodies of Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments Scotland are to merge. The new Strategy details how our historic environment will be carefully managed to
deliver benefits.

The National Trust of Scotland could launch a £1.5 million bid to buy Ailsa Craig thanks to the support of wealthy American donors. An organisation based in Boston is calling on the NTS to
acquire the Island.

Castle Grant in Moray, with an asking price of £1.1 million, has been placed on the market once again after we reported it had been sold. Also Ackergill Tower re-opens after closure due to fire
damage.

In June 2014 members of the SCA spent four days exploring the castles of North Wales. Based in the seaside resort of Llandudno and blessed with glorious weather it
was an experience that none
of us will forget.

Alastair Maxwell-Irving's second book focuses on the evolution and architecture of the Border Towers of Scotland and features the surviving
towers in the West, Middle and East Marches of the Scottish Borders

Eyemouth Fort is regarded as the first 'Trace Italienne' fortification in Britain. The local museum has launched an interactive exhibit where visitors are able to watch a guided tour of the fort and 'play' the fort via an Xbox controller!

The National Trust's President's Ball, held at Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire, was attended by businesses, local dignitaries and long-time supporters. The historic properties that are set to
benefit are revealed here.

Mugdock and Craigend are castles situated in Mugdock Country Park, East Dunbartonshire. The former is 14th century and the latter 19th but both fuel the conundrum - how can one save a
historic building and safeguard its future?

If you are a fan of the hit TV series Outlander and want to get closer to the action, here are some of the Scottish places and castles used to create atmosphere and authenticity to the dramatic
scenes.

Standing just 500 yards apart are two magnificent buildings. The original Dalquharran Castle whose construction began in the 15th century and its younger neighbour, also called Dalquharran
Castle, built some 300 years later.

Once the most desirable property in a part of Ayrshire and at the forefront of 17th-century design, The Place of Kilbirnie is now sadly neglected and forgotten. We shine the spotlight on it once
more...

Once visited by the King of England and the scene of some brutal killings, Bedrule Castle's tumultuous days are in the dim and distant past but we can imagine how
this impressive stronghold may have once looked.

What do a castle, an abbey and a palace have in common? They have all earned the vote of Richard Oram, the Scottish Castles Association President, as some of Scotland's most iconic
examples of Scottish architecture.

The interiors of our Scottish castles often throw up objects which give us an insight into what life within them might have been like hundreds of years ago. Can you work out what these objects were for?

SCA Member Rachel Stuart of Blackhall Manor describes how she was captured by an Italian Prisoner of War, or at least, the little chapel he (Domenico Chiocchetti) built on Orkney during the
Second World War.

SCA Member Rachel Stuart of Blackhall Manor describes how she was captured by an Italian Prisoner of War, or at least, the little chapel he (Domenico Chiocchetti) built on Orkney during the
Second World War.

Although a very modest house in the context of Scottish “castles” in general and the SCA’s membership in particular, Blackhall Manor in Paisley, Renfrewshire has a history which stretches
back 850 years.

Although a very modest house in the context of Scottish “castles” in general and the SCA’s membership in particular, Blackhall Manor in Paisley, Renfrewshire has a history which stretches
back 850 years.

Scottish Castles Association member Vanessa Harryhausen comes from a very interesting family. Fellow SCA member, John Buchanan Smith, met Vanessa as she was looking to acquire an
historic Scottish property.

Scottish Castles Association member Vanessa Harryhausen comes from a very interesting family. Fellow SCA member, John Buchanan Smith, met Vanessa as she was looking to acquire an
historic Scottish property.

SCA member Tom Clarke has successfully restored some fabulous historical properties including Howgill Castle, Lochhouse Tower and Kilmartin Castle. Here, he gives us a fascinating insight
into his life...

SCA member Tom Clarke has successfully restored some fabulous historical properties including Howgill Castle, Lochhouse Tower and Kilmartin Castle. Here, he gives us a fascinating insight
into his life...

SCA member, John Pringle investigates how the village Athelstaneford got its name after a battle won by Picts and Scots along with other historical facts and myths linked with The Scottish
Flag Heritage Centre.

SCA member, John Pringle investigates how the village Athelstaneford got its name after a battle won by Picts and Scots along with other historical facts and myths linked with The Scottish
Flag Heritage Centre.